lucy's interview with a designer.

01. How did you begin your career – formal study or otherwise Where, how long, would you do that again or is there another alternative: been around it all of my life as that was my dads profession as well, as he owned the business before I did, I had no real formal training, but I worked with my dad as a non official apprentice/ trainee for many years but I have been in the busyness for 10 years full time. And yes I would do it all again!

02. How did you feel when you handed your first job over. It was good to see the sign I designed and made! It gave me self satisfaction and I was proud of it. It was great getting good comments.

03. How did you go through the ranks to where you are now? There were no real ranks as I just took over the business after my father.

04. Describe your own design style. Lots of colour, I use gradients and fading colours together a lot, I try to incorporate pictures and graphics where ever I can.

05. What do you predict as new trends of design style? More photo art and graphics (which is already happening) and mainly more manipulated photos as printers and computers are making these things more possible.

06. Influences and inspirations of your design career. My father, reading sign and design mags and looking at other peoples styles and designs.

07. Tools of trade Typical, favourite: correl draw, sign wizard, digital printer.

08. In your years designing what changes have you seen style: more strait lettering, block colour, 1 dimensional graphics, photo generated artworks from single basic colour to colour blends and photos which are made easier my new technology such as digital technology of the last few years.

09. Favourite areas of design - advertising, painting, typographic etc: mainly typographic- lettering and advertising.

10. What strategies do you have to cope with creative blocks: mainly just go away from the project and do something else eg: make a coffee, work in the workshop for a while, sometimes give yourself half a day or day to work on it in your subconscious. You cant wast time sitting in front of a screen with doing nothing.

11. What are your future ambitions, umm, to retire and get more into photography.

12. Do you prefer to work within a team or on your own. Why Give example: probably in a team because there are more ideas floating around and I like taking and mixing up ideas as well as influence different views and angles.

13. What extra skills have you learnt working as a freelance and or within a company structure. When you come up with a idea which is totally your own with no other influences, it’s a lot harder but a lot more rewarding as it feels better because you have a higher scene of achievement because you know it is all your own I deals.

14. What inspired you to become a designer? I was sick of being an electrician and wanted a change and to do something fun and creative. And because I had been around it and enjoyed it all of my life I thought this was the right path for me.

15. What kind of design work have you found to bring in the bread and butter - The most common jobs. Mainly just general signage like shops and vehicles and that type of thing.

16. what achievements or design projects would represent your best work. Certain well known campaign logos which are continuously seen throughout the years time and time again. Design logos which are still relevant after a period of time and the period of time they were meant for.( logos which stand the test of time) and still look good!

17. What has been the low point of your career. What was the worst job, the worst client. What did you learn from it. Client- going to a lot of effort to design a great artwork and design and client not willing to pay for the privileges and then going to someone else and getting a crap design for cheap., other designers stealing your work and ideas and then obviously doing a job cheaper because they did not have to take the time to design it themselves.
Most Mondays are my lowest point… joke.. Na I don’t really have on that I can think of.

18. On a day to day basis- what is the most rewarding of your career and the least rewarding?
Least rewarding = frustrating creative blocks where your can’t get a design that you and the client are satisfied with.
Most rewarding = completing a big job without any hiccups and still make a buck or two.


19. Do you undertake environmentally sustainable methods of design processes. As much as we can, we try to save as much leftover materials such a vinyl or core flute as we can. We also use eco sold products such as ink wherever possible.

20. Do you as a graphic designer feel you have a moral responsibility/obligation to society and how does that make you feel? Not to many moral obligations, I mainly just try to keep designs as appealing as possible to as many people as I can. I want people to want to look at my designs.

21. How do you establish your hourly rate when presenting the cost to your clients. I have to work out how much it costs to run the shop- (industry standard costs) work out the cost of running the busyness. etc.

22. What does your pricing structure include; eg fuel costs, person hour rates, materials cost, advertising etc lease/rent/premises, repayments, on purchasing machinery, hard wear, soft wear, vehicle expenses, staff expenses, materials, labour, etc.

23. How do you sell yourself. Do you have a website or regular advertising structure/mode? Not really! Mainly word of mouth, small labels on the bottom of some signs, vehicle advertising, etc.

24. How do you work through client conflict and difficult customers? Swear a lot…. Joke! Umm, mainly try and negotiate a positive outcome which satisfies all.

25. What would you consider your dream job or dream client?
Client- a client who appreciates a well designed sign and doesn’t compromise on price.
Job- any job for that client.

26. Where do you see yourself in future years. Do you think you will be in the same field or are you interested in other avenues? I see myself retired but still getting more and more into photography but still incorporating graphic design into photography but more as a hobby rather than a job.

27. How do maintain ongoing professional development. Conferences, updating skills, updating software and materials? Mostly by updating soft wear, keeping up to date with products, going to conferences and sign shows so I know what is being used and what I need do or buy to stay up the top of the industry. I like to read industry related literature and magazines so I can read all about new products.

28. How do you remain progressive in your skill of trade – magazines, study etc? sign shows, magazines, soft wear etc…basically all the same as the last question.

29. Do you think the graphic design industry is high pressured? yes because there is usually a dead line to get a creative result. And I feel it is harder to get a creative result when you are stressed or under pressure as you don’t have much time to think or for your ideas to grow.


For my interview, I interviewed designer and sign writer Greg Gooley from ‘Gooley signs’ in Murwillumbah


By Lucy.

i already did this to!

Cradel to cradel is a newly designed way of changing bad aspects about the worl such as recycling and other importand things which we need to do to preserve our world for future generations. a company called MBDC is articulating and putting into practice a new design paradigm; what Time calls "a unified philosophy that—in demonstrable and practical ways—is changing the design of the world."
Instead of designing cradle-to-grave products, dumped in landfills at the end of their 'life,' MBDC transforms industry by creating products for cradle-to-cradle cycles, whose materials are perpetually circulated in closed loops. Maintaining materials in closed loops maximizes material value without damaging ecosystems.
This is becoming a very importand process as our world is becoming more poluted everyday and wast products are alway increasing aswell... if we don't do something about it than there will be no wold to dump our wast. This is why cradel to cradel is so important.
i got my pic from this site:
http://www.mbdc.com/c2c_home.htm

i already did this so i don't know y it isn't in there!

in this day and age which everything is mass production when everything must be planned and designed, design has become the most powerful tool with man as man shapes his tools with his environment and by extention, society and himself. this demands a high social and morral responsibility.
i think this coment reffers to mans abbility to reproduce the same design as many times as they may was or need as they may need it for many different occasions or events. man also shapes his tools by his environment, as our environment shapes us so if we need a design for a particular purpose, most the time we will find the tools and the way to produce it. otherwise there is no way that the work will be used or good for what it needs to be used for, this is when man shapes his tools to suit the enviroment. this also explains how it becomes the most powerful tool. people are going to extream lengths tho get there designs where they want them. i think the media has alot to do with this as it determinds weather or not designs are chosen or not, where to advertise and what to design and advertise. as it more or less controlls waht people like and what they don't.
http://www.signdesigns.com/

50's

graphic design in the 1950's relied alot on arts and crafts as in this era there arts and crafts were very popular. alot of the designs during this time were very vintage and alot of the desings used minimal colour,with light pastel colours, without much brightness in it at all. these worx portrayed feeling and aspects of thast time as well as many day to day activities. graphic design back then related to art and craft as this was where it originated from. many people found designs helpful and useful. hot rod cars and rock and roll was a big aspevt of the 50's so there were many designs of hotrods and muscle car portrayed in many many different ways but only using limmited colours, the designer had to figure out a good way to apperal to a wide audiance of all different ages and stles to promote his job.
popular colours were light yellow, orange red, blue, pink etc and the main dark colours used were black, navey blue and sometimes navey green.
i got my pic and info from this link:
http://www.unicorn-50s-designs.co.uk/

My personal opinion of the 2012 Olympics logo is not very good at all as it personally frustrates me that people paid so much money for this design work!
The design to me does not symbolise London in any way to mean the countries name doesn’t even have a capital letter! I know they were going for a contemporise and new kind of style and look but I would think that if this country is holding an Olympics it could at least have a capital letter.
I don’t real like or relate to the font at all as to me it doesn’t read clearly and the “o” to me looks like our country Australia and the 12 looks like a R. I actually don’t mind the colours as I like the bright and fun happy warmth to them as the polemics is a fun happy time for all countries to come together and unite and as a large group of people with all the same challenges and goals in mind! However, I don’t exactly think it represents the country that well but I understand this would be hard so I like what they have done with the colours!

I personally think the works of these designers are strong and can be a bit confronting as some might call them vandals!!! But I think that they are more social commentator! And maybe propaganda artists more than vandals! As their works make a statement! and as it may be shocking to some, their views and designs are unique and their own... vandalism is not a major aspect of a lot of their works... especially Dominic Allen, as his are mainly photographic yet he still manages to put across political or personal or impersonal messages.
This photo of the fish I thik may set a political and “in your face statement about finshin and how much we actually take from the eath. The photo is large and detailed with a clear and defined visual impact on the viewers of discusting and dead fish. But I do not understand this to be vandalism,as we don’t know if he killed the fish or not! And my thoughts would say no!
I found this designer interesting and I got my info and my photo from thins website:
http:// www.dominicallen.com/DAphotos.html

TIMES UP BLOG CLOSED AFTER FRIDAY 22 JUNE AS MARKS HAVE TO BE LODGED

post 1 enviromental responsibility
BRITTANY
LUCY
post 2 united colours of benneton
KIM
BRITTANY
CATHY
post 3 whats the difference
LUCY
KIM
EMILY
BRITTANY
post 4 scratch it spreads
LUCY
KIM need 2
JACQUI
CATHY need 1
BRITTANY
post 5 olympic logo
LUCY need 3
JACQUI need 1
EMILY need 1
BRITTANY need 4 ALSO DONT HAVE YOUR SUBCULTURE ASSIGNMENT